Windows XP laptop doesn't appear in WSUS All computers list

Question

I have this one laptop that doesn't appear in WSUS all computers list. We have about 23-25 PCs/laptops/servers in the network, all, but one are listed in WSUS.

This is what I have done so far:

1) Changing Updates on local PC:

• Go to your Windows XP client and start a new Microsoft Management Console (MMC). At Start, Run, type MMC.
• Use Ctrl+M to add a new snap-in.
• Click Add, and then add the Group Policy Object Editor for the Local Computer.
• Click Close, and then click OK.
• Expand the Local Computer Policy.
• Under Computer Configuration, go to Administrative Templates, Windows Components, Windows Update.
• In the right-hand pane, double-click Specify intranet Microsoft update service location.
• Configure the settings to reflect my WSUS server.
• Click OK and then close the MMC without saving it.

executed wuauclt.exe /detectnow

2) Edited registry key to be pushed to the PCs using GPO

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WindowsUpdate]
"WUServer"=http://wsusserver
"TargetGroupEnabled"=dword:00000001
"TargetGroup"="WINXP"
"WUStatusServer"=http://wsuswerver

3) executed wuauclt /resetauthorization /detectnow

4)Synchronised and refreshed the group

I am running out of ideas here. The client is running Windows XP pro, WSUS version is 3.0 and is running on Windows 2008 R2 64-bit.

Please, help!

Thanks!

EDIT 13.IX.2012 @ 15.40 CT

I should have also mentioned that we do have a Windows Update GPO for workstations group and that laptop is a part of that group.

EDIT 13.IX.2012 @ 18.03 CT

Here are the . Now, after googling the error that's the solution I came across and it didn't help:

-> Stop the Automatic Updates service and BITS service.

net stop wuauserv

net stop bits

-> Delete “%windir%\softwaredistribution” directory.

-> Start the Automatic Updates service and BITS service. When these two services have been started, they will auto-create “softwaredistribution” and its subfolder at system directory.

net start wuauserv

net start bits

-> After the “%windir%\softwaredistribution” directory has been generated, please let the client contact the WSUS server immediately.

wuauclt.exe /resetauthorization /detectnow

-> After 15 minutes, please check the client to confirm whether it detects needed updates.

Edit 14.IX.2012 @ 9.59 CT

1) Okay, I ran nslookup on the WSUS server:

Server:  xxxx.xxxxxxx.local
Address:  x.x.x.2

Name:    xxx-xxx.xxxxxxx.local
Address:  x.x.x.36

2) I pinged the WSUS server (name):

Pinging xxx-xxx.xxxxxx.local [x.x.x.36] with 32 bytes of data:

Reply from x.x.x.36: bytes=32 time=1ms TTL=128
Reply from x.x.x.36: bytes=32 time<1ms TTL=128
Reply from x.x.x.36: bytes=32 time<1ms TTL=128
Reply from x.x.x.36: bytes=32 time<1ms TTL=128

Ping statistics for x.x.x.36:
Packets: Sent = 4, Received = 4, Lost = 0 (0% loss),
Approximate round trip times in milli-seconds:
Minimum = 0ms, Maximum = 1ms, Average = 0ms

3) I pinged the WSUS server (IP):

Pinging x.x.x.36 with 32 bytes of data:

Reply from x.x.x.36: bytes=32 time<1ms TTL=128
Reply from x.x.x.36: bytes=32 time<1ms TTL=128
Reply from x.x.x.36: bytes=32 time<1ms TTL=128
Reply from x.x.x.36: bytes=32 time<1ms TTL=128

Ping statistics for 10.3.1.36:
Packets: Sent = 4, Received = 4, Lost = 0 (0% loss),
Approximate round trip times in milli-seconds:
Minimum = 0ms, Maximum = 0ms, Average = 0ms

I don't believe it's a DNS issue, but I might be mistaken. Anything you need to run to check DNS issue?

Answer 1

Clearly you can ping a server, but you can't communicate with WSUS on the WSUS port.

Been a while since I used WSUS 2.0, and I can't remember if I was using port 80 or some other port, but I always specified the port that I was using:

"WUStatusServer"=http://wsusserver:8530

-- and you need to check the spelling of your server name in the GPO: that's an easy mistake to make.

You need to check what port the server is using, and that nothing else has grabbed that port, and that the firewall at both server and client allows connection on that port.